Astronomy Picture of the Day · January 21, 2015

The Complex Ion Tail of Comet Lovejoy

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 21, 2015 is “The Complex Ion Tail of Comet Lovejoy,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Velimir Popov & Emil Ivanov ( IRIDA Observatory )). The original explanation runs about 240 words.

From the explanation

“What causes the structure in Comet Lovejoy’s tail? Comet C/2014 Q2 (Lovejoy) , which is currently at naked-eye brightness and near its brightest , has been showing an exquisitely detailed ion tail.”

— APOD editors, January 21, 2015

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: January 21, 2015
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Velimir Popov & Emil Ivanov ( IRIDA Observatory )
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 240 words

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, January 21, 2015 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2015-january-21-the-complex-ion-tail-of-comet-lovejoy

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.